Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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Our community lakes are such great places to fish – the Game and Fish stocks them with a variety of fish at different times of year, including trout, catfish, and bluegill. Some of the lakes have bass in them, too! You've probably got an urban lake close by – there are over 50! - and sitting on the bank with a line in the water is one of the best ways to spend a day that I know of. We've been taking our granddaughters to urban lakes since they were very small, and they not only love to fish, but... Full story
Cold-blooded critters like bass slow down in winter, and the colder the water gets, the slower the bass become. But they don't quit eating altogether, and if you know how, where, and what to fish, winter can be your best chance to bag a really big bass.Arizona Game and Fish biologist Bill Silvey explains: "As the air temperature drops, the water at the surface starts to cool off and become denser. Pretty soon it's colder than the water beneath it, and it starts to sink, while the warmer water... Full story
Lake Havasu on the Colorado River is a fantastic place to visit – it has great fishing, beautiful views, plenty of places to stay and play -- and the London Bridge. The London Bridge In the 1930s, the construction of Parker Cam created Lake Havasu. During World War II an R and R camp for the armed forces was built on a peninsula. A developer named McCulloch bought 26 square miles of desert (the current site of Lake Havasu City), and in 1968 he bought the London Bridge and had it dismantled a... Full story
Fall Fishing I first saw Ben in action in 1993, when I was his observer at an All Star Championship. The first day of the tournament was on San Carlos, and I had the opportunity to watch Ben fish a variety of lures, including worms, spoons, jigs, jerkbaits, and even a Pork-o! Nice Weather The championship was in September, and for a change the weather was pretty nice. It was cloudy and cool, and the water temperature was a little over 77 degrees. Ben started off in the very back of a cove,... Full story
Most of the trout in Arizona are stocked fish, which means that trout fishing is mostly a "put and take" game. The Arizona Game and Fish Department puts the trout in, and we take them out. Most of the fish that are stocked are small, what the Game and Fish calls "catchable" trout, but some of our lakes and streams have genuine trophy fish, and the Game and Fish Department usually throws in a couple of bigger fish in each stocking just to give you an incentive to fish. Don't miss the Arizona... Full story
At the U.S. Open about several years ago, Arizona Nitro pro Kevin Finley found a Storm Arashi crankbait in the goodie bag he received at tournament HQ. Later, he went fishing at Lake Pleasant with a buddy, Taj White, and told him, "you tie on whatever you think I should throw – I've got a tournament coming at Pleasant." Taj absolutely smashed them with the Arashi. That's how he found out about the Arashi, and now he says it's the best crankbait he's ever used. Never Lost One Finley says he's n... Full story
"Swimbait" is a broad term – it can mean anything from a grub to a 15-inch trout imitation. They are distinct from crankbaits in design and usually in material – swimbaits tend to be made of softer stuff than crankbaits, but they are all designed to imitate some kind of baitfish. Spring is the perfect time to get acquainted with these baits if you aren't already a fan, so here are some tips to help you improve your swimbait techniques. D-Shad And Fluke Baits These little baits are all the rag... Full story
Bait Finesse System 101 Get Hooked On This System (originally published on Bassresource.com) The Bait Finesse System uses very small and light baitcasting rods and reels and it's gaining popularity with bass fishermen everywhere. But John and I love it for trout fishing on the small forest lakes and even in streams – we're long-time bass anglers who are more comfortable with baitcasting gear than a fly rod or a spinning rod. Ideal For Panfish The BFS method is ideal for trout and other p... Full story
Jerry Tate of JT's Arizona Hunting and Fishing specializes in fishing Lake Pleasant.He's on the water several days a week, and has a handful of good friends who also spend tons of time on Pleasant. Between them, they always seem to know exactly where and how to fish for any species in the lake. Action Is Fast And Furious "The great thing about fishing for white bass and stripers is that once you find them, the action is fast and furious," Tate says. This kind of fishing is perfect for kids, beca... Full story
It was cold, but the fishing was hot. By Margie Anderson We went out with Dave Prothe under the worst conditions. Roosevelt was the lowest I've ever seen it, and it was cold out. The water was dirty and there was a tournament going on. Prothe, however, seemed cheerful and optimistic. And with good reason, too -- the first fish he caught (before the sun was even over the horizon) was a largemouth that weighed at least four and a half pounds. This Is The Time "This is the time of year that the wat... Full story
A crankbait can easily evolve into one of your favorite go-to techniques any time of year. Crankbaits = 'Idiot Baits'? Crankbaits are sometimes called "idiot baits" because people have the idea that there is nothing to them but casting and winding. True, you can catch fish on a plug even if that is all you do, but if you take the time to figure out just which bait and retrieve to use a crankbait can easily evolve into one of your favorite go-to techniques any time of year. Wobble, Wobble... Full story
Big Fish And Big Money Can Come On Crankbaits When water temperatures start to go down and lake levels begin to rise, crankbait time is here again. Fish start moving up and getting a lot more active, and one of the best ways to find them is to start cranking around the same places you found them during the summer, but shallower.Long points that have good drop-offs to deeper water are prime early-fall areas. Fishing Legend Danny Westfall Re: Crankbaits Fishing crankbaits is easy, but still... Full story
Early in February it can seem like the fish are on strike," says local resident and ournament angler Debbie Blanchard, "but before long the big smallmouth start to move in and you can catch a lot of really big fish." The smallmouth begin to spawn when the water reaches about 58 degrees, and they spawn deeper than largemouth do. Easy To Spot Debbie looks for beds in at least ten feet of water. They're easy to spot, she says, because smallmouth nests are as much as three times as big as... Full story
When water temperatures start to go down and lake levels begin to rise, crankbait time is here again. Fish start moving up and getting more active, and one of the best ways to find them is to start cranking around the same places you found them during the summer, but shallower. Long points that have good drop-offs to deeper water are prime early-fall areas. Fishing crankbaits is easy, but still requires some effort and attention. You must learn to feel a crankbait while you're fishing it. A lot... 
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The weather is still acting like a lion instead of a lamb. At press time, winds are still blowing this week. Check the weather report while planning a trip. There is usually a calm day or two each week. Fishing on a calm day instead of a windy day often produces more fish and more happy anglers. (Check the weather at the bottom of the home page on Wayneswords.net). Lake level is still going down. The Castle Rock Cut is closed. Bullfrog Main ramp is closed. Launching is still possible at the... Full story
AZGFD’s Canyon Creek Hatchery will provide some trout for the department's Community Fishing Program waters this winter. The current drought conditions have caused reduced spring water flows at the hatchery, making it difficult to maintain the quality water flow needed to support the large number of fish in its raceways. Utilizing some of the fish for winter stockings in community waters will reduce numbers of trout at the hatchery and help ensure the fish there have adequate water to grow a... Full story
Years go by and fishermen change, but the bass sure don't. We went fishing at Roosevelt one November many years ago with an AllStar Bass angler named Dave Prothe, and he schooled us on spinnerbaits and crankbaits in cold weather. Baits To Start We started out with spinnerbaits and crankbaits on a rocky bank where the channel swings in close to shore – in the Tonto end across from Cholla on the edge of Goose Flats. The boat was sitting in just three feet of water. Dave says that when the water s... Full story
Lake Powell water temperature in the morning remains at 72F. It will get warmer but now the wind is still mixing the warm surface layers with cool deep layers of water. The lake remains very busy with lots of boats over the length of the lake. Get to the launch ramp early to head out for a morning fishing trip. Run Uplake I followed that advice recently and headed out to Warm Creek to test fishing success. We trolled for stripers but did not catch any. Then we switched to bass lures. We caught... Full story
Lake Powell is now back to normal and open for fishing, recreating and camping 24 hours per day. Smallmouth Bass fishing has been incredible with a consistent catch of 40 fish or better each day. Most anglers are pounding the shoreline from 5-30 feet deep with plastic baits including Ned rigs, plastic grubs, Maniac Cutter bugs, and various crankbaits. Many have enjoyed topwater fishing in the early morning and evening in coves and the backs of canyons. Lake Powell bass seem happy to have anglers... Full story
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (May 4, 2020) - Whether you're talking the expansive rivers of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, or the reservoirs and rivers of Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, primetime walleye fishing is happening right now. In all these places, walleyes are moving to the headwaters, narrows and dams, making them quite uncomplicated to find and catch. A kayak is a great alternative to fishing walleyes by motorized boat or from the bank. Specific models like... Full story
I was lucky enough to get out on the lake when it opened to locals last month. Lake Powell bass were spunky, bold and ready to chase or eat anything in the tackle box. I started with a simple single-tail green grub and dropped that straight down 8-15 feet in front of isolated rockslides. Smallmouth from 1-2 pounds were all over the bait. Catching was quick and easy and a whole lot of fun. Every rockslide had a bunch of agreeable bass. The success came because bass were in spawning mode and they... Full story
Lake Powell weather is delightful with a warm, calm autumn weather. Air temperature is holding in the mid 70s during the day and in the 50s at night. Water temperature is holding in the mid 60s, which is the ideal fishing temperature for the springtime spawning period. Sport fish are still in vacation mode as they quietly attack one of the thousands of shad balls still swimming on the surface. Not much has changed during this unusual fishing year. Adult Stripers Adult stripers are still swimming... Full story
Cool Days Mean Great Crappie Fishing Cool days mean great crappie fishing, and nobody knows Roosevelt crappie better that Curt Rambo, Leroy Price, and Art Chamberlin. Curt is a jig guy and Art and Leroy like to troll. Here's how they do it. "I drive around and look for brush in twenty to thirty feet of water," Rambo explains. "Sometimes it takes an hour to find a good spot, and sometimes you don't find one all day." Just about any cove with submerged brush can be good. Drop A Jig Down There Look... Full story
Quality of life is measured by amount of time spent fishing. As I returned from vacation, we had an assignment to catch 60 striped bass for the annual disease re-certification, to ensure that Lake Powell fish do not have any viruses that might destabilize the fishery. We must collect the fish on the same day that they are certified. Hot weather had really slowed down fishing in August, but I checked recent fish reports and found that small stripers (8-12 inches) recently boiled in Warm Creek.... Full story
Apache Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Arizona, and because the road is not paved, Apache rarely gets crowded, even in summer. Fishing can be awesome here, with largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, trout, yellow bass, catfish, carp, sunfish and crappies all represented. From the main marina west to Horse Mesa Dam the shoreline is mostly steep and rocky. Several good-sized coves cut into the shoreline, though, and provide plenty of good shallow-water fishing at this end, too. Right... Full story
